Who and what would most benefit from the overlook of Lake Michigan?
With the PLL and NWSL making their marks on Northwestern’s Evanston campus and bringing professional events to The Lakefront, the wheels began to turn amongst students as to what events the higher ups should consider erecting inside Martin Stadium next year.
Here are a couple ideas I’ve decided to pitch to athletic director Mark Jackson.
Savannah Bananas vs The Party Animals
The most theatrical, high-energy, exciting baseball one will ever have the pleasure of watching. The Savannah Bananas have been taking over as a social media sensation, so much so that ESPN has a stake in broadcasting some games.
With the group traveling a couple minutes up the road to Rate Field in August, it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle for them to take the purple line to campus for a midweek marquee.
Baseball on a football field doesn’t sound enticing at first, but the Bananas have recently played inside Raymond James Stadium and Memorial Stadium on their world tour. The short porch in right field would make for some beautiful home runs that land into the lake behind the scoreboard — Northwestern’s very own “splash zone”, better than Oracle Park’s in my opinion.
Volleyball: Northwestern vs. Nebraska
With this matchup selling out Welsh-Ryan Arena last year, why not try a bigger venue the next time the ‘Huskers come to town?
It’s no secret that Nebraska Volleyball has been one of the drivers of a revolution within women’s sports, bringing viewership and engagement to college volleyball that has never been seen before. Just two years ago, the Cornhuskers put 92,000 fans in seats in a straight-sets victory over Omaha — setting a world record for the highest attendance ever recorded at a women’s sporting event.
Just months ago, fans were chomping at the bit to get to Evanston to see if the ‘Cats could pull off an upset for the ages. How about next year, they give NU another chance at history on a bigger stage?
Kendrick Lamar Concert
If you’re a Northwestern student, and you opened Instagram between the hours of 10 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday, chances are that you saw at least one post Kendrick Lamar, likely because he was sending Soldier Field into a frenzy last week.
With his history at Dillo Day, Kendrick’s return to Evanston isn’t an idea that’s far fetched. Here at NU, eyes were glued to the TV for his halftime performance at this year’s Super Bowl. That energy would create madness at a concert on the Lakefront.
What a coming of age story that would be: Kendrick Lamar coming back to a place where he cut his teeth as an artist on his way to becoming one of the best rappers of all time.
Bears vs. Packers
The most OUT THERE event to land on the list, but hear me out.
This is possibly the most storied rivalry in NFL history, and a bitter one once you reach the Chicagoland area. Two fanbases with immense hatred for each other, two teams with young, intriguing quarterbacks, and two receiver rooms that can put up 350 combined yards on any given night.
Northwestern Medicine Field could make for a blockbuster Thursday Night Football matchup, creating an electric atmosphere for the NFL to make some big bucks. Caleb Williams scrambling out the pocket for a 40 yard rushing TD would rock the west stands in ways we could only imagine.